Epilogue - One Year Later
Maeve
The bells from the chapel start to ring just as the music swells.
Outside, the trees shimmer gold and red in the afternoon sun, a perfect Pine Hollow fall day. Crisp air, a breeze that smells like apples and woodsmoke, and laughter floating through the little square.
This town has seen so much love that it almost feels charmed. Everywhere I look, someone is smiling, someone holding hands, someone whispering something soft and secret.
And today, it’s my turn.
Connor squeezes my hand. “You sure about this?”
I grin up at him. “Completely.”
He chuckles. “You know I’ve been rehearsing this conversation in my head for months. The one where I tell Hawthorne that if he hurts you, I’ll end him.”
“I’m sure he’s terrified.”
“Oh, he is,” Connor says, smirking. “Told him I know how to make him disappear.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “You didn’t.”
He gives me a sideways look. “He knows I’m kidding. Mostly.”
I glance down the aisle, heart stuttering a little. Graham’s waiting at the altar, standing tall in a dark suit that does nothing to hide how broad his shoulders.
He doesn’t look nervous. He looks ready. His eyes find mine like he’s been waiting his whole life for this.
The rest of the world fades. The music, the chatter, the breeze, all of it falls away. It’s just him.
I take the first step forward, my arm tucked in Connor’s.
My heart feels too big for my chest. Dottie’s sitting in the front row, dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.
Beside her are Annie and Cal, smiling at each other like they still can’t believe their luck.
Maisie and Ford are there too, holding hands.
The whole town seems to be here, people who’ve become more like family than neighbors.
Connor leans close as we near the altar. “You’re sure about him?”
“More sure than I’ve ever been about anything,” I whisper.
He smiles. “Then go get your happy ending, little sister.”
When we reach Graham, Connor’s hand lingers on mine for a second before he lets go. “Take care of her,” he says quietly.
“I always will,” Graham answers.
Connor nods and steps aside, his grin softening the warning in his eyes.
Graham reaches for my hands. His hands are warm and steady.
“You look like heaven,” he murmurs.
I laugh through the tears gathering at the corners of my eyes. “You look like you can’t breathe.”
“I can’t.”
The officiant says something about love and patience, about how marriage isn’t about perfection but choosing each other, every day. Graham’s thumb strokes over my knuckles while he listens, and my heart feels like it’s going to burst.
When it’s time for vows, he speaks first.
“I used to think quiet was peace,” he says. “Turns out, I was wrong. Peace is having you by my side every day.”
The crowd sighs softly, and I bite my lip to keep from crying outright.
He smiles down at me. “You make me better. You make me happy. And I don’t ever want to wake up a day without you in it.”
My voice shakes when I answer. “I came back to Pine Hollow thinking I’d hide. Instead, I found you, and a life that feels more real than anything I’ve ever known. You’re home, Graham. You always have been.”
He cups my face, his thumb catching a tear I didn’t even realize had fallen. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
The officiant smiles. “Then by the power vested in me—”
Graham doesn’t wait for the rest. He leans in and kisses me.
It’s slow, sure, and full of everything we are: fire, gentleness, and stubborn devotion. The crowd cheers.
I pull back, laughing through happy tears. “You couldn’t wait two more seconds?”
“Not a chance.”
***
Later, the celebration spills out into the square. Tables are lined with pies, cider, and baskets of flowers. The band plays under a canopy of twinkling lights. The whole town seems to glow.
I dance with Dottie first, because she insists, while Graham stands near the bonfire with Cal and Ford, pretending not to watch me and failing miserably.
Connor catches my arm as I pass him. He smiles, pulling me into a quick hug. “You look happy, Maeve.”
“I am.”
“Good,” he says softly. “You deserve it.”
When I finally make it back to Graham, he pulls me close, his hand settling on the small of my back.
“Everything you hoped for?” he murmurs.
“More.”
We sway together, the rest of the world a blur. His breath brushes my ear when he whispers, “Mrs. Hawthorne.”
I smile against his chest. “Say it again.”
“Mrs. Hawthorne.”
He says it like a promise, like something holy.
I tilt my head back to look at him. “You happy?”
He nods, eyes soft. “Happiest I’ve ever been.”
I rest my forehead against his. The music fades into the hum of conversation, the crackle of the fire, the laughter of friends. The stars blink on one by one over Pine Hollow.
The town is alive with love, every heart beating in rhythm with its own story. And ours has only just begun.
I hold Graham’s hand tighter, feeling his thumb trace the band on my finger, and smile up at him.
“I can’t wait to spend forever with you,” I whisper.
He kisses me again, gentle and certain. “Forever’s already started, sunshine.”
And under the glow of the lights, surrounded by everyone who’s ever meant anything to us, I know he’s right.